The delivery strategy

Transport Scotland will create a ticketing and transport data environment that supports integrated journeys, is easy and accessible to use, and keeps customers up to date and well informed about their journeys. We will do this by providing enhanced smart and integrated ticketing powers for Ministers and local transport authorities, improved industry collaboration, consistent and interoperable smart ticketing, and increased open travel data. We will also continue to improve and maintain the integrity of the national concessionary travel schemes.

To maximise success, Transport Scotland will work closely with operators, transport authorities and industry, allowing us to deliver our vision, contributing to a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland.

The delivery of the activities contained in this strategy are subject to completion of feasibility studies, business cases and availability of funding.

Smart and integrated ticketing policy

Smart ticketing continues to evolve at a significant rate due to technological advancements. This strategy’s activities are therefore flexible to take advantage of opportunities, whilst setting a framework to oversee the development of smart and integrated ticketing and travel data.

The establishment of NSTAB will provide Scottish Ministers with collaborative advice from industry, passengers, authorities and experts on the strategic development of smart ticketing and on a national technological standard for smart ticketing. NSTAB will seek to enhance the interoperability, accessibility and consistency of smart ticketing for passengers and contribute to the work outlined in this strategy.

The introduction of 2019 Act measures will enhance the Scottish Ministers’ and local authority duties and powers with regards to ticketing arrangements and schemes, so these can include more modes and operate across more of Scotland. This will complement other bus provisions such as bus partnerships and franchising, supporting the introduction of more local integrated ticketing, across more modes. By encouraging transport authorities to work together, and across regions, the scope and benefits of their existing and new ticketing arrangements and schemes can be maximised.

Transport Scotland will also work closely with the operators, industry and local transport authorities to grow integrated smart ticketing across Scotland, both geographically and across more modes, providing more convenient payment and ticketing services to passengers. This includes exploring options for a new national integrated ticketing system that could be adopted by operators and local transport authorities to improve smart integrated ticketing across operators and modes.

Short term

NSTAB will continue to be sponsored by Transport Scotland and will oversee the delivery of their Work Programme. NSTAB’s programme aims to deliver a range of advice on the strategic development of smart ticketing in Scotland, technological standard(s), and on the implementation of remaining 2019 Act smart ticketing measures. NSTAB will consider quick wins, and low, medium, and high-level intervention opportunities to increase the accessibility, technical interoperability and value for money of smart ticketing in Scotland. It will also consider enhancement opportunities for smart integrated ticketing arrangements and schemes, so they deliver a better ticketing experience for the customer. Transport Scotland provides the secretariat support function for NSTAB, as well as sponsorship, and has a representative on the Board.

Sections 41, 44, 45, 46, 47 and 48 of the 2019 Act will be commenced, and guidance developed together with NSTAB and key stakeholders will be issued to encourage local transport authorities to work collectively to develop best practice ticketing schemes that meet local needs, include more modes and services, and utilise modern, consistent ticketing technology.

Section 41 includes enhancing the duty on local transport authorities to consider what ticketing arrangements are needed on connecting rail and ferry services in addition to bus services. Section 44 includes a requirement that any ticketing scheme must be smart and comply with the national technological standard for smart ticketing, and section 45 confers a power on the Scottish Ministers to direct local transport authorities to use their powers in relation to ticketing schemes. Section 46 will require local transport authorities to produce annual reports on ticketing arrangements and schemes and section 48 provides for the issuing of guidance associated with the ticketing measures of the 2019 Act to support their introduction and development.

Working with NSTAB, a scope of work will be developed to identify and explore options to introduce a national integrated ticketing system. This will include a feasibility study on developing a multi-modal Account Based Ticketing approach in Scotland.

Progress being made elsewhere in the UK, and internationally, will be reviewed, and this will be used to understand the best approach for Scotland and the Scottish Government. This study could include consideration of legislation requirements, market constraints or required support to enable operators to introduce the required ticketing or back-office system technology (to replace or work with legacy technology) and advise on how to build on existing integrated tickets in operation in Scotland.

Medium term

Section 42 of the 2019 Act provides the power for Scottish Ministers to specify and publish a technological standard for the implementation and operation of smart ticketing arrangements. Following the advice from NSTAB on technological standards and implications for Scotland, Ministers will consider the appropriate subsequent course of action and may choose to specify a standard that already exists and has been published elsewhere or specify a new one.

Ticketing schemes, made under Section 31 of the 2001 Act, must comply with the standard, but beyond this the intention is to work closely with operators, transport authorities and suppliers so the standard is adopted more widely in Scotland.

A technological standard is also intended to provide inclusive smart ticketing option(s) that also consider unbanked and non-digital customers.

Informed by advice from NSTAB on the future of smart ticketing in Scotland and on technological standards, a business case will be developed to understand costs, timescales, legal requirements and benefits of delivering a national integrated ticketing system in Scotland, recommending possible next steps.

A national integrated ticketing system is intended to deliver a system that operators and local transport authorities could use that would allow smart, digital or contactless tickets or payments to be used for travel across Scotland. This reflects passengers’ preference to travel without having to think about a ticket for each leg of the journey. In order to maximise benefit, operators would be encouraged to participate in a system that, for example, could offer multi-modal fare capping or post-journey payment.

Long term

Subject to the legislative requirements, funding, and the recommendation and outcome of the new national integrated ticketing system business case, next steps will be determined, working together with NSTAB, operators and transport authorities. This could include investment and procurement, as well as introduction and adoption of any new national integrated ticketing system, to best maximise benefits for passengers.

Following introduction of any technological standard(s), measures from the 2019 Act on smart ticketing and any new national integrated ticketing system, Transport Scotland will provide continued business as usual support for the operation of these measures, including working closely with operators, local transport authorities, regional transport partnerships and users.

Operators and local transport authorities will be encouraged to continuously enhance their integrated ticketing schemes, ensuring that they keep pace with evolving technology, grow their geographic and modal reach, and utilise the technological standard for smart ticketing and any new national integrated ticketing system. This will mean more people in Scotland benefit from integrated ticketing and technology and provide simpler ticketing to integrate with MaaS and any other third party ticketing platforms.

Concessionary travel improvements

Transport Scotland will deliver continuous improvement of the National Concessionary Travel Schemes so the schemes remain technologically up to date, meet customer expectations, ensure public services are modern and efficient, and provide quality journey data to maintain and protect the integrity of the concessionary schemes. The physical smart infrastructure and the back-office reimbursement software of the National Concessionary Travel Scheme will also require updating to cope with any policy changes, the expiration of contracts and necessary technological upgrades.

Short term

A feasibility study identifying the potential future digital technology options for the National Concessionary Travel Scheme will be concluded in 2024. Feedback has indicated a desire for the concessionary travel scheme to be provided on a mobile platform, and so this study is considering the smart platforms that could be used for concessionary travel, including mobile, contactless, and other barcode and ’blended’ solutions to enhance the scheme’s operation, satisfaction, and accessibility.

Medium – long term

Smart ferry concessionary travel on services between the mainland and eligible islands on the west coast will be introduced, considering the lessons learned from the introduction of the smart platform for concessionary ferry travel for Orkney and Shetland in 2023.

Recommendations on the conclusions of the feasibility study on the future smart platform for the National Concessionary Travel Scheme will be provided, including further development and option appraisal, and potential pilot project, subject to funding.

Travel data & journey planning

Transport Scotland will introduce new digital travel data services and regulations under the 2019 Act relating to bus open data, so better information is available on timetables, fares, and real-time information. This will support third party journey planning platforms, such as MaaS or Google, though provision of robust, quality data. This will also include supporting work to set out the future strategy for MaaS in Scotland, to improve integrated journey planning, booking and payment.

Short term

Following the award of a new Digital Travel Data Services contract in spring 2023, Transport Scotland will continue to enhance the data service for Traveline Scotland and third-party journey planners to provide enhanced fares, real-time, disruption, and accessibility data.

Working to Digital Scotland Service Standards and based on a user centred design approach, we will work with the Digital Travel Data Services supplier and Traveline Scotland to ensure customer benefits are realised. Improvements will see new data fed into the system which will be provided in an open data format to third party users. As more data becomes available the service will continue to be enhanced, aligning with the work on open data and information provision policy and legislation.

This project will also deliver a new look website and mobile app for Traveline Scotland, meeting WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.2 standards.

Transport Scotland will run a consultation regarding the implementation of section 40 of the 2019 Act, which provides Scottish Ministers with the power to introduce regulations to require information about local bus services (including bus open data) to improve the availability and standard of passenger journey planning information. This includes information about routes, timetable, stopping places, fares, and tickets; and information about the operation of services including real time information about services. The intention is that this will complement the bus open data policy in England, so cross-border operators are not unfairly affected.

Although not in the Act, the intention is to work together with modes other than bus, such as ferry and rail, to also provide data in the required formats. In advance of legislation, Transport Scotland will undertake consultation and engagement to seek to understand how best to enhance the range, amount, and quality of voluntary data being provided by operators and other data providers.

The review of the MaaS Investment Fund pilots, commenced in late 2023, will be completed to inform the Scottish Government’s future MaaS policy. This review will determine the success of the pilots by measuring against key performance indicators such as popularity of use, types of journeys booked, whether increased sustainable travel has been achieved and the longer-term sustainability of the projects. This review will be completed in 2024/25.

Medium term

Following the consultation on public transport open data and information provision, legislation will be introduced setting out the processes and data standards to be used for the enhancement of passenger information across Scotland. Transport Scotland will work closely with operators, authorities, the Traffic Commissioner and passengers in the process so that this is introduced successfully.

Following the launch of the Digital Travel Data Services in 2024, and the new Traveline Scotland website and app, Transport Scotland will continue to work with operators to enhance the quality and provision of travel data being provided to the service. This will include preparing the service for forthcoming open data legislation.

The review of the MaaS pilots will help identify the next policy steps for MaaS in Scotland. Work will continue to support MaaS Scotland and other key stakeholders to improve their integration with MaaS platforms, and derive benefit from bus open data and information provision legislation that will provide enhanced fares, real time and timetable information. MaaS can complement developments in smart ticketing by providing avenues for pre-purchased tickets.

Long term

The Digital Travel Data Service contract, which commenced in 2023, will be scheduled for renewal and a recommendation to further build on the enhanced data services provided, including from the introduction of bus open data and information provision legislation will be determined. This will seek to ensure that the data service continues to deliver for users and uses latest technologies and data standards.

Transport Scotland will continue to work closely with operators, and other stakeholders, so that they can comply with open data legislation, helping to deliver nation-wide, high quality and accurate bus service information to the public.

Cross-cutting

We will support delivery of the smart and integrated ticketing related recommendations in the Fair Fares Review, including enhancing the concessionary travel scheme, proposals for flat fares or reduced fares on zonal integrated travel, encouraging and proposing enhancements of integrated ticketing including development of a national integrated ticketing system, and sponsoring NSTAB.

Transport Scotland will incorporate requirements into the new Clyde & Hebrides Ferry Services contract and the new Northern Isles Ferry Services contract, which will enhance ferry smart ticketing, improve integration with other modes, and integration with MaaS platforms.

The draft Islands Connectivity Plan (ICP) sets out the intention to improve collaborative working between CalMac and ScotRail, including on the development of digital integrated tickets, such as for Rail & Sail. The ICP also sets an action to assess current levels of integration through a baseline study, including investigating smart ticketing, with more integration across modes, and how travel information can be improved.